306 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 662 



list of contributors given, comes the first divi- 

 sion of the subject, a consideration of " The 

 Wood Warblers " in general. In this division 

 are the eight headings: General Characters, 

 Plumage, Distribution, Migration, Songs, 

 Nesting Habits, Food, and Mortality. Of 

 these the article on " Migration of Warblers," 

 by Professor W. W. Cooke, that on " Food of 

 Warblers," by Mr. Edward H. Forbush, and 

 that on "Mortality among Warblers," are 

 particularly interesting. 



The second division, which comprises the 

 major part of the book, is concerned with a 

 detailed treatment of genera, species and sub- 

 species, unfortunately following the inverted 

 order of Mr. Eidgway's recent review of the 

 family, without his excellent reason therefor. 

 This portion includes for each genus its diag- 

 nosis and general characteristics ; and for each 

 species and subspecies pertinent information 

 condensed into readily accessible form under 

 a number of subheadings. " Distinguishing 

 Characters" consist of the salient differential 

 points of plumage, together with usually the 

 measurements of total length in skin, wing, 

 tail and bill. We are not, however, altogether 

 satisfied that, as Mr. Chapman claims, the 

 total length of a bird can be more accurately 

 ascertained from a dried skin than from a 

 fresh specimen ! Descriptions of the various 

 phases of plumage, from nestling to adult, are 

 next given, and these seem to be full enough 

 for most purposes of identification and com- 

 parison. " Geographical Distribution," writ- 

 ten chiefly by Professor W. W. Cooke, follows, 

 and is in most cases excellent and very com- 

 plete, being separated under General Distri- 

 bution, Summer Range, Winter Range, 

 Spring Migration and Fall Migration — an 

 admirable arrangement, although the Gen- 

 eral Distribution would much more logically 

 have included the winter as well as the sum- 

 mer home. " The Bird and its Haunts " in- 

 cludes various notes on general habits — again 

 much information in a small compass. Other 

 captions, self-explanatory, are " Song," " Nest- 

 ing Site," " Nest," " Eggs," " Nesting Dates " 

 and " Biographical References " (to litera- 

 ture). 



A " Hypothetical List " of two pages enu- 

 merates the species that, according to our 

 author, have but a questionable place in the 

 North American list, by reason of doubtful 

 specific validity or unproved occurrence with- 

 in our limits. 



The book is illustrated by 24 colored plates 

 of birds, 4 half-tones of nests and nesting 

 sites and 4 of eggs. The half-tones, as well 

 as the colored figures, with a few exceptions, 

 such as the water-thrushes, ovenbird and 

 cerulean warbler, are good. 



Harry C. Oberholser 



Etude mineralogique des produits silicates de 

 V eruption du Vesuve (Avril, 1906). By A. 

 Lacroix. Paris, Nouvelles Archives du 

 Museum, (4). Vol. IX. Pp. 1-172, 1907. 

 In this valuable and important work the 

 foremost petrographer of France brings to- 

 gether many observations made by himself at 

 eruptions of Vesuvius in 1893, 1905 and 1906, 

 with results of great interest both for the 

 study of volcanic eruptions from the physical 

 side and of the petrography of their products. 

 In the first chapter a general sketch of the 

 Vesuvian eruptions is given, followed by a 

 detailed description of that of 1906. Two 

 main types of eruption (both central) are dis- 

 tinguished: that of 1895, in which the effusion 

 of lava is tranquil and extends over several 

 months and that of 1872, in which it is violent 

 and rapid, and lasts only a few days. The 

 eruptions of the first type are constructive, so 

 far as the cone is concerned, while those of 

 the latter are destructive. A third, subsidiary 

 type, rare at Vesuvius while the usual one 

 at Etna, is that of 1760, characterized by ex- 

 centric outflows, the other features being in- 

 termediate between those of the first two. The 

 eruption of 1906 belongs to the type of 1872, 

 ending a period of moderate activity which 

 had lasted for nearly 32 years. 



In the second chapter the new lavas are 

 described petrographically in considerable de- 

 tail, two chemical analyses being given, which 

 resemble closely earlier ones of lavas of 1631, 

 1872 and 1903 made by the reviewer. The 

 leucite phenocrysts appear to have formed 



